Palestinian and Israeli negotiators progressed on the Rafah border crossing dispute about the border control arrangement, in their meeting on Sunday.
Saleem Abu Safiya, chief of the border security in Gaza Strip said, Israel dropped its demand to operate the crossing point in Kerem Shalom, a joint, Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian point. This, added Abu Safiya, would lead to solving the border crossing issue completely.
Apparently, Israel has also agreed to the third party supervision which most probably is going to be European, on these borders.
This supervisory role includes defined enforcement powers that will be exercised should the Palestinians fail to fulfill their part of the border agreement.
The parties also agreed to exchange drafts of an accord on customs issues in the next few days.
Solving the Rafah border crossing issue would pave the way to reaching agreements on the other crossing points in the Gaza Strip.
Both Beit Hanoun and Al-Mintar crossing points connect Gaza Strip with Israel.
Israel declared its intention to close the border for six months until agreements are reached and until renovations are made. The Palestinian Authority, however, in coordination with Israel opened the border for certain periods of time to allow those who need medical treatment or those who go to school in Egypt to do so.ÂÂ
The border was closed for more than two weeks, which cause many passengers to stay on the Egyptian side of the border waiting for it to open so they can go back to their families in Gaza Strip.
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